While I was about to open our bathroom door yesterday, I remembered the time I replaced its knob a few months ago. During that time, I questioned my replacement choice as it didn’t even last a year before needing to be replaced again.

This lead me to share with you two of my recent experience with decisions that were solely based on price in exchange for a very expensive lesson.

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A Broken Knob

Going back on the topic of the broken knob, I know that door knobs get replaced at some point, but it should be after several years. Most of our door knobs were replaced once only after more than 5 years.

This made me question my prior decision in choosing the recently broken door knob. Did I go for a cheaper doorknob at the expense of sacrificing quality? If I did, it turned out to be more expensive as I needed another one. And most probably with a different brand.

I am sure, though, that I choose a quality knob based on its price and how it is well packaged. I even asked the owner of the hardware store. However, it is still constantly bugging my mind that it prompted me to investigate. I want to know what could have caused the knob to prematurely fail.

First, I found out that the internal parts of the knob were rusted and the small pin that was acting as a level/gear was worn out because of the rust.

Second, the lock is a rotary type which is difficult to determine if it is currently locked or not. This always prompts the user to pull the lever to determine if it is locked or not. Doing so, put unnecessary strain on the gears and locking mechanism – thereby introducing unnecessary wear.

Third, it was the peak of the Covid19 pandemic when we are advised to disinfect door handles. I used to spray disinfectant on the knob as it is a shared bathroom and three of us are mostly involved with front liners at that time. I later found out that the disinfectant I am using is corrosive to metals.

This leads me to conclude that it is caused by a combination of poor design and human error. The company that produced the product could have employed an easier way to determine if the knob is locked or not. Better yet, they could have designed it in a way that it would automatically be unlocked when it is attempted to be opened from the inside.

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A Stinking Problem

Where I live, most people would prefer not to hire an engineer when constructing their homes. They put less importance on the job of an engineer and reason out that their fees are expensive. For most of us in here, as long as they can put a roof over four walls then that would do.

This is the same thing that happened to the house I currently live in.

One particular part of the house that is very expensive to maintain right now is the septic tank.

I am not an expert in this field but I had some basic Civil Engineering subjects back in college. As I remember, septic tanks should have at least two divisions. This is to separate the fresh dirt from older ones that would have been decomposed by aerobic bacteria. And, the maximum depth should be around 1.5 meters. This is to allow the aerobic bacteria to survive as they also need air.

What I learned from school.

In the case of our septic tank, there was no design whatsoever was taken into consideration. It is just a rectangular pit with a cement cover. It has more than 2 meters deep, no manhole, no division, and no outlet. And the old man who was in charge at that time just believed that it will be full after 20 years or more.

What we ended having

He is no engineer nor a professional construction worker. I’ve talked to the worker who dug the pit and he informed me that he suggested placing a divider but was rejected.

Three years later, we needed to call for a waste removal service. And then again after another 3 years.

The frustrating thing is, this is the second septic tank that he asked someone to dig up. The first one was where I suggested what I was learning at school at that time. But he just brushed me off sarcastically.

Engineers’ fees cost around 5% to 10% of the cost of new construction. Judging that the cost to construct the house where I live is around 24k USD, the engineer could have asked for a max fee of 2.4K USD. Compare this to the total cost that has gone into the 2nd septic tank which is 1.8k (700 x 2 + 400). After another 3 years, this will exceed 2.4k USD. Not to mention the hassle of monitoring the workers every time we would call for a waste removal service.

In addition, the engineer could have even maximized the cost of the house and it could have been more comfortable to live in.

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Closing Thoughts

These are just two of the many situations where I (or was unwillingly caught in) chose a cheap product or service that turned out to be more expensive in the end. This leads me to be more careful when buying a product or hiring someone.

This is all for me now, I hope that you learned something from my story.
Feel free to share your similar experience in the comments below.

Until next time. 😊

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All images used in this post are mine, unless, otherwise credited.
Photo from 1st image Photo by Ba Tik
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